Small Appliances

After purchasing the Gillette Group for $US57 billion earlier this year, Procter & Gamble has sold off a section of the Braun business which is believed to be a non-core asset to the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company.

Electrical products from brands including Sunbeam, Breville, Philips, Victa and Rode Microphones have dominated the shortlist of consumer products nominated for the prestigious Australian Design Awards.

Sunbeam and Breville are likely to once again dominate the judging in the prestigious Australian Design Awards after the two brands received eight nominations in the initial shortlist for the 2007 event which was announced this afternoon.

A jury of respected appliance professionals, including Australia’s celebrated chef Tetsuya Wakuda, have named a temperature controlled mobile food carrier as the winner of the first prize in the fourth Electrolux Design Lab Awards.

Sunbeam has received over 12,500 entries to a competition which ran over the last four weeks to give away Innovo gas barbecues and a Beer Mate beer keg system, via television advertisements featured on Foxtel channels.

Alba PLC, Bush Australia’s parent company, said on Wednesday it has set in motion proposals which may result in the “disposal or demerger” of its leisure division, and has announced “substantial” job losses in its consumer electronics division.